Workshops

 
Transformative learning: Empowering the strategic role of L&D
WORKSHOPS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
8:45 am
Registration opens
9:30 am
Opening remarks from the Chairperson
Sonya Law
Founder, SL HR Consulting
9:40 am
Workshop 1: Beyond "Business as Usual": Managing HR Burnout through Change
In this interactive workshop, Melissa draws on her three-year journey through intense organisational change – including M&A, COVID-19, and nationwide project mobilisations – to help HR professionals recognise the hidden emotional labour and burnout risks they face. Together, you will work through practical tools to better support People and Culture teams before, during, and after change, and experiment with simple strategies to recover, reset, and sustain your energy without losing yourself in the process.
Melissa Mason
Founder, Red Jacaranda Group
10:10 am
Workshop 2: The Data-Driven Restructure: Navigating Change with Confidence and Clarity

In today's volatile business environment, restructuring is no longer a once-a-decade event but a constant reality. Yet, over 70% of transformations fail to meet their objectives, often due to a lack of data-driven insights and clear communication. This session will provide a practical org design framework for leading a successful organisational restructure. We will move beyond the traditional, painful process of spreadsheets and static org charts to a dynamic, data-centric approach. You will learn how to leverage people analytics to design a future-fit organisation, mitigate risks, and lead your people through change with confidence and clarity.

Michelle Clancy
Head of Customer Success, Navigo
Andrew Rees
CEO, Navigo
10:40 am
Morning tea and refreshments break
11:10 am
Workshop 3: Winning C-Suite Buy In for People Investment
As organisations scale, people challenges quickly become commercial challenges. In this session, we’ll explore how to translate HR pain points into a clear, data led business case that resonates with the C suite. Join the conversation to learn how to speak the language of CFOs and CEOs, build confidence in your people investment proposal, and influence leadership to act before growth starts to stall.
11:40 am
Workshop 4: Unlearning: The Leadership Skill Your Leaders Need to Learn
What if the biggest thing limiting your leaders isn't what they don't know, but what they need to unlearn? In a world that keeps rewriting the rules, the beliefs and habits that made leaders successful can become the very things holding them back.  
This isn't a typical talk. You'll experience Out of Bounds' Fresh Air Leadership approach and discover the two essential ingredients that make unlearning possible - and how to create the conditions where leaders move beyond autopilot and show up differently. 
Katrina Symons
CEO & Founder, Out of Bounds
12:10 pm
Workshop 5: Career Transformation: The New Imperative for HR Leaders
91% of HR leaders report their organisation is planning or has recently completed redundancies - yet 81% say rehiring costs exceed the cost of layoffs. In today’s volatile market, workforce reductions are increasingly driven by skills gaps, signalling the urgent need for a proactive approach.
Discover how to shift from career transition to career transformation - building agility, purpose, and resilience in your workforce. You’ll gain practical strategies for skills-based workforce planning, learn how to harness purpose to drive retention and engagement, and explore tools and frameworks for reskilling, upskilling, and enabling internal mobility.
James McIlvena
SVP, Managing Director Australia, New Zealand + Singapore, LHH
Nithya Ramaswamy
Solutions Director, LHH
12:40 pm
Networking lunch
1:50 pm
Workshop 6: The Learning Revolution is Here: How AI is Transforming Capability Building

The way we learn, grow, and work is rapidly changing—yet learning has not kept pace. Stress levels are rising, attention spans are shrinking, while productivity and revenue remain critical priorities. Discover how AI-powered learning is reshaping capability building and enabling faster, smarter, and better solutions for tomorrow’s learners—today.

Naomi Oyston
Head of Capability & Growth, Shine X Nexus
2:20 pm
Workshop 7: Turning Diversity into Advantage: Western Sydney, Universities, and the Power of Opportunity

Western Sydney shows the power of diversity as a driver of innovation, opportunity, and growth at a time when the world is navigating division and change. This talk explores how diversity, when supported through equitable systems, strengthens participation across communities, institutions, and organisations. It highlights the unique role of Western Sydney University in expanding access through inclusive pathways and supporting first-in-family students and those from diverse backgrounds. Together, these examples demonstrate how universities can turn diversity into lasting advantage and affirms diversity as a strength across societies, workplaces, and communities.

Professor Azadeh Dastyari
Director, Centre for Western Sydney and Professor, Human Rights Law, Western Sydney University
2:50 pm
Workshop 8
3 :20 pm
Afternoon tea and refreshments break
3:40 pm
Workshop 9
4:10pm
Workshop 10
4:40 pm
Day one ends / Networking Drinks
9:00 am
Registration opens
9:35 am
Opening remarks from the Chairperson
Sonya Law
Founder, SL HR Consulting
9:40 am
Workshop 11: The Human Advantage: Leading When AI Can’t
What makes leadership irreplaceably human? This session explores the leadership capabilities no algorithm can replicate. Drawing on 30+ years of leadership and HR experience, neuroscience, and real-world organisational change, Sonia reframes leadership for an AI-accelerated world, where trust, emotional regulation, courage, and human judgement are now the true differentiators. How can leaders show up when pressure is high, certainty is low, and people are looking for direction? 
Sonia McDonald
CEO & Founder, LeadershipHQ
10:10 am
Workshop 12
10:40 am
Morning tea and refreshments break
11:10 am
Workshop 13
11:40 am
Workshop 14: NIDA Corporate Training
The Art of Communication: Stand Out, Build Trust and Lead with Impact

NIDA Corporate Training specialises intransforming even the most analytical thinkers into engaging storytellers. Inthis practical workshop, we use timeless creative techniques to teach the Artof Communication to help you become the presenter you aspire to be. Join thisworkshop and learn how to elevate your personal presence, build trust, andcreate lasting impact as a leader.

Jo Turner
NIDA Corporate Training Tutor
12:10 pm
Workshop 15
12:40 pm
Networking lunch
1:50 pm
Workshop 16
2:20 pm
Workshop 17
2:50 pm
Workshop 18
3:20 pm
End of workshops
3:30 pm
Prize draw announcements

Expo Passport Grand Prize 
Collect all exhibitors’ stamps on the Expo Passport for the chance to win a $5,000 cash prize!

Workshops All Star Grand Prize 
Attend all workshops for the chance to win a $5,000 cash prize!

Sponsor Prize Draws
Visit the exhibitors to join prize giveaways!

3:35 pm
Event concludes